17 young Assam footballers to train at Marbella FC in Spain

Panaji: Seventeen young footballers from Assam are preparing for a 14-day trip to Spain where they will train at Marbella FC, a Primera RFEF club where Brazil and Manchester United star Casemiro is a shareholder.All selected players featured in the 70th Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi football tournament which concluded recently. Popular in the past, the tournament attracted participation from some of the biggest clubs in Indian football but later lost its lustre.“The organisers made the inclusion of under-19 players mandatory for all teams and there were about 700 of them,” said Anuj Kichlu, director and CEO at Best of You (India), a player agency that tied up with Guwahati Sports Association (GSA) to make the Spain training possible.

“The trials were conducted in a professional manner and 17 players were selected.”According to sources, if any of the players catch the eye during their stint in Spain, their training period will be increased.BOY has its headquarters in Madrid and is renowned for representing Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, a five-time UEFA Champions League winner with Real Madrid and currently at Manchester United. The agency has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Guwahati Sports Association with India representatives, CEO Anuj Kichlu and director Saurav Chatterjee, taking the lead.

Devajit Saikia, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is also the secretary at GSA. The association is led by Paresh Chandra Das, while L. Pranab Singh is the football secretary.The 17 players are likely to make the trip in September, depending on how quickly they can obtain their visas.The Bordoloi Trophy, organised by the GSA with support from Assam’s department of sports and youth welfare, and various district sports associations, mandated that every participating team fields at least five U-19 players during district and cluster rounds. This decision ensured that scouts discovered talent from remote corners of the stateA total of 72 under-19 footballers were first shortlisted and then called for a selection camp at the SAI Training ground in Guwahati.

Former India captain and AFC Pro Licence coach Renedy Singh led the selection committee that picked the 17 players – besides five reserves – for the trip to Spain.“I was truly impressed by the skill and potential of these young players,” said Renedy, who was interim coach at East Bengal in the Indian Super League (ISL).After spending two years in the fifth division of Spanish football, Marbella have seen plenty of investments, helping them push for two straight promotions in the Primera Federacion. They now play in Primera RFEF, the third-tier of Spanish football, and are known for their excellent infrastructure. Marbella’s youth team features in the La Liga Youth League, the top division in Spain.